


Kiss and (Don't) Tell

by bekkis



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-02
Updated: 2010-05-02
Packaged: 2017-10-09 06:36:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/84125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bekkis/pseuds/bekkis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur and Merlin go to boarding school, and they hate each other. Modern AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kiss and (Don't) Tell

Merlin loosens his tie, following a group of students out of the classroom. Arthur pushes him out of the way, yelling at a group of boys down the hall. Merlin rolls his eyes, shifting his bag as he walks towards Gwen, who is leaning against the hallway wall. She smiles at him as he walks towards her, her hair down and curled around her face. He bumps her arm in greeting and leans against the wall next to her.

"He's such an arse." Gwen nods her head towards Arthur and a group of boys torturing an underclassman. One of them is holding the boy's books in their hand, while Arthur pushes the kid around.

"I think it's genetic," Merlin says, crossing his arms across his chest. Gwen laughs. They can see Morgana making her way down the hallway towards Arthur and his friends.

She pushes Arthur, and grabs the boy's books.

"God Arthur, are you ever going to grow up?" She hands the boy his books and he scurries down the hallway.

"Oh c'mon Morgana, lighten up." She spins around and glares at Arthur, and he backs off, his hands raising in surrender. She glares at him for a full thirty seconds before turning around. She sees Merlin and Gwen leaning against the wall and walks towards them, face furious.

"Some people will never grow up, I swear," Morgana says, hands on her hips.

"I can't believe you two grew up together," Gwen replies, as they start making their way down the hallway, towards the common room.

"Well, that makes two of us." They make their way past a group of students as they enter. Morgana and Gwen flop down on the couch in the middle of the common room. Merlin sits on the floor in front of them, stretching his legs out and leaning back on his elbows. Gwen slides her shoes off and pulls her feet underneath her.

Arthur and his friends walk into the common room a few minutes later, barely glancing in their direction as they pass by, heading towards a corner of the room. Merlin rolls his eyes as they walk by, but watches them as they sit, laughing loudly and gaining the attention of nearly everyone in the room.

Merlin tries to pay as little attention to Arthur as is possible; they've hated each other since the moment they set eyes on each other. Merlin took one look at Arthur and took him for what he was; a spoiled, selfish brat with too much money and too many expectations on his shoulders. Arthur took one look at Merlin's bedraggled clothes, sloppy hair and well worn books and hated him right back. Merlin had no use for Arthur, and the feeling was completely mutual. Which was why, when they were younger, they were prone to fistfights in the dinning hall, Merlin fighting with pure rage, not caring if Arthur was bigger and stronger. Their fighting eventually turned to pranks, when Merlin woke up one morning with half his head shaved off, before a higher authority stepped in and stopped them. After phone calls to both their parents, the boys promised to stop fighting and simply avoided each other from there onwards.

Nowadays, they're much more mature. Arthur just gives Merlin snide looks, and Merlin pretends Arthur doesn't exist. It's much easier.

"Merlin? Merlin?" Morgana nudges his foot with her own, trying to get his attention.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said, what are you writing your essay on?"

"American politics and the..."

***

Merlin is holed up in the library, researching for his essay, pen lodged between his teeth. He's off in a corner, in the back with the books no one ever uses. He found this place his first year and studies there whenever he needs peace and quiet. Or whenever he needs to get away from Gwen and Morgana. He's leaning back on his chair, feet propped up on the table rungs as he reads, stopping to scribble notes every few minutes.

He almost doesn't hear it at all, but when he's halfway through his essay, he hears a soft feminine giggle nearby. He inwardly groans, and tries to finish writing down his last thought. He hears a soft thump, like someone was pushed against a bookshelf. Someone makes a shushing noise before he hears a feminine giggle, and a not so feminine soft laugh. Merlin leans back in his chair a little, curious. No one ever comes back here.

A girl with dark hair is pushing a boy with much lighter hair against the bookshelf, her hands pressing against his chest. She looks vaguely familiar, some girl from his class that Merlin really doesn't know all that well. He recognises the boy though.

The boy is Arthur, grinning mischievously down at the girl, dimples out in action, his hands resting on her hips. She leans up on her tiptoes, pressing her lips against his, as his arms wrap around her waist. His hands splay across her back, pushing her shirt up to reveal her belly. Merlin leans back a little further as the girl lets out another giggle, before wrapping her arms around Arthur's neck and deepening the kiss. Merlin can see Arthur grinning, before spinning them around and pushing the girl against the shelf. She lets out an "oomph", before kissing him again. He sees her tongue sweep into Arthur's mouth, as his hands work up her shirt towards her bra. Merlin can't see what Arthur's hand is doing, but he has a pretty good idea. The girl squeals a little bit, and pushes up against Arthur.

Merlin cries out as the chair gives out from underneath him. He falls backwards, legs flailing before hitting the ground.

"Oh fuck." His head is pounding, and his teeth ache from the impact of hitting the floor.

"What the fuck are you doing back here?" He opens his eyes. Arthur is standing over him, looking furious. Merlin lets out a low moan, and Arthur reaches one hand to press against Merlin's head. "Merlin, you sodding idiot." Merlin can see blood on Arthur's hand. Arthur pulls off his shirt to press it against Merlin's head, leaving him shirtless from the waist up. Merlin's mouth suddenly feels dry.

"Ow, that hurts. Fuuuck." Merlin moans as he reaches his hands back to his head. Arthur bats his hand away with his free hand. Merlin can vaguely hear the girl freaking out behind him.

"Well of course it bloody hurts, you've got a massive head wound." Arthur rolls his eyes, but he actually looks a little worried. He pushes his shirt harder against Merlin's head for a few seconds before pulling it away. Merlin goes to push Arthur's hand away, but Arthur just rolls his eyes and helps Merlin up to sit. "You've already ruined my shirt, so just shut up and let me help you." Merlin just nods and hisses a little as his hair catches between Arthur's fingers. Arthur helps him up off the floor, still pressing the shirt against Merlin's head.

"You don't have to..."

"Oh would you just shut the fuck up, Merlin? Christ, even when you're bleeding to death you're annoying." Arthur grabs his arm with his free hand, and Merlin can see the blood on his finger tips. Arthur helps him towards the door, and the girl he was with rushes to open it for them.

"Is he going to be okay?" Her eyes are wide and a little red as they walk through the doorway. People stop to watch them as they walk by. Merlin can't figure out if it's the head wound or the fact that they're together and not trying to kill each other. They make it to the nurse's office without incident.

"What were you boys doing this time?" She pulls the shirt away from Merlin's head, tsking as she throws it onto a nearby table.

"It was my fault," Merlin says, wincing as she begins cleaning the blood out of his hair, inspecting the damage. Arthur is standing next to him, arms crossed against his chest. He's biting at his bottom lip, staring at Merlin's face.

"Well, you might have to get stitches, I'm not sure." She frowns at him, and turns to Arthur.

"Where you fighting again? You know what your father is going to say if he hears you've been fighting again, Arthur." Arthur opens his mouth to reply, but Merlin interrupts.

"No, I was...I fell." She raises an eyebrow at Merlin, who blushes. "Really, I was leaning back in a chair and I fell over." She turns back to look at Arthur, who nods.

"Alright." She presses a cloth to Merlin's head, instructing him to hold it there, and walks over to the sink to wash her hands. Merlin glances over at Arthur, who's rubbing at his bottom lip, staring at Merlin's feet.

"I'm going to go call a doctor, see if you need stitches. Don't you boys get into another fight while I'm gone." She pauses for a second, like she's not sure if she wants to leave them alone, before walking out the door towards her desk.

"Thanks. For helping," Merlin says.

Arthur looks up at Merlin's face, before nodding.

***

Arthur is oddly silent after Merlin's accident. He watches Merlin in class, like he's trying to figure something out. Merlin tries not to meet his eyes; after all, what do you say to someone you were spying on while they were trying to get laid, and instead of them getting some, they end up helping you to the nurse's office with a gushing head wound.

Merlin is unsettled by Arthur's peculiar silence. Even though they haven't had a physical fight in at least a year, Arthur always has some snide comment about Merlin, whether it's about his upbringing or his mother, or his lack of money. Arthur has a never ending spiel of put downs for Merlin, but he's been quiet all week.

Even Morgana and Gwen have noticed. After a few days of Arthur not picking on the first years in the hallway, Morgana walks up to Arthur and asks him if he's ill.

"Something bad is going to happen," Gwen says, biting her bottom lip.

"What?" Merlin asks.

"He's never this quiet. You're going to wake up with your head shaved again." Merlin rolls his eyes and shifts in his seat, glancing over at Arthur, who is eyeing him again. It's unnerving. And weird.

"Maybe he's sick of being a prat." Morgana overhears the last bit of Merlin's comment as she walks over.

"I seriously doubt that," Morgana comments as she flops down next to Merlin on the couch.

"You need to watch out, Merlin," Gwen says nervously, and glances over at Arthur, before looking back at Merlin. "He's only like this when he's planning something."

Morgana nods, crossing her legs.

***

Gwen is right. After a week of shifty looks and long stares, it turns out Arthur is planning something.

Merlin is back in the library again. He's not at his usual table. Now that Arthur knows his hiding spot, Merlin needs to find somewhere else to hide. He doesn't tell the girls exactly how he hurt himself. It was awkward enough catching Arthur and some random girl pre-shag, without having to explain why he was spying in Arthur in the first place. Not that he was there to spy, but Morgana would ask why he didn't interrupt or just leave, and Merlin really doesn't want to give an answer to that question. He manages to find another deserted corner and settles down with his pile of books.

About an hour later he spots Arthur out of the corner of his eye, walking towards his old corner. He shifts down in his seat, pulling the book up to cover his face. He watches Arthur looking around the library, and groans a little when Arthur spots him. He pretends not noticing Arthur, but he doesn't understand a single word he's reading on the page.

"Your book is upside down." He glances up at Arthur, who's smirking.

"Oh." He turns the book around, and looks back down. Arthur sits down across from him, legs splayed as he leans back in the chair. He watches as Merlin attempts to study again. Merlin gives up after a few minutes, putting his book down. "Can I help you with something?"

Arthur grins and sits forward. "You were spying on me last week."

Merlin flushes. "No I wasn't."

"Oh I think you were. Never thought you were that pervy, though it's not that surprising." Arthur gets out of his chair and walks over to Merlin, leaning against the table, and crossing his arms across his chest. He looks smug. "Did you like what you saw?" He leans down towards Merlin.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He doesn't meet Arthur's eyes, looking around at everything but Arthur.

"Oh I think you do Merlin." Arthur uncrosses his arms and puts a hand under Merlin's chin and forces his face upwards. "You shouldn't spy on people Merlin, it's rude." He moves his face down to Merlin's, and whispers into his ear. "Especially when you could have...made your presence known." He leans back a little and grins. "Without hurting yourself." He winks and leans back, crossing his arms across his chest again. Merlin sputters a little, before standing up. The chair squeaks as it slides against the floor. Merlin gathers his books.

"And I thought I was the one who hit his head on the floor." Merlin says, and he walks away, his hands shaking.

***

So maybe it was a little hot, watching Arthur and that girl pressed up against a dusty bookshelf. Merlin's trying not to think about it, but whenever he closes his eyes at night to sleep, or when he's drifting off in class in the middle of lecture, or at dinner when he's only paying half attention to Morgana's rant on whatever is bothering her that week or whatever, Merlin keeps flashing back to Arthur's hand spread against that girl's back, drifting up to her bra, his other hand on her jaw. Merlin's not blind, he knows Arthur is attractive and all the girls, and some of the boys would do anything to get into his pants.

Merlin's never been one of them, but now he can't stop thinking about Arthur and that girl, except now he's replacing the girl with himself and then he's sitting in class feeling awkward and horny and frustrated. He can almost always see Arthur looking smug whenever Merlin glances over at him, like he can read Merlin's mind.

Merlin still hates Arthur, can't stand his stupid smug face, but now he spends half his time thinking of ways to shut Arthur up, and ends up having to run to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face.

***

Arthur doesn't approach him again, but he's still acting weird. Rather than pushing Merlin out of his way in the hallway, Arthur brushes past, his hands lingering on Merlin's hips as he walks by. He winks at Merlin when he walks by him in the dinning hall, while Merlin is eating breakfast with Morgana and Gwen. In the common room late at night, when Merlin's studying with Gwen and Morgana, their books spread across the floor, Arthur watches from his corner of the room, eyes shifting to Merlin often enough to unsettle him.

Merlin's walking back from the bathroom to go to bed when Arthur corners him again. Merlin isn't prepared and is taken by surprise when Arthur pushes him against the wall. Merlin drops his toothbrush and towel. Arthur's hands slap against the wall, boxing Merlin's head in, his hips pressing against Merlin's. They're both wearing thin shorts, and Arthur's t-shirt looks soft and warm, neck stretched out. Arthur studies Merlin, eyes shifting down to study his mouth.

"You drive me...absolutely fucking crazy," Arthur whispers, his cheek brushing against Merlin's for a moment. Merlin swallows, trying to shift his hips away. The movement causes his body to grind slowly against Arthur, and Merlin let's out a quick breath, his fingers scrambling against the wall.

"You and your stupid fucking books and your bloody stupid face." Arthur opens his eyes again, meeting Merlin's gaze. He looks back at Merlin's mouth, and before Merlin even realises what's happening, Arthur's mouth is pressing against his.

Merlin's mouth opens a little in surprise, and Arthur takes it as permission to take things further, sweeping his tongue against Merlin's. They both groan, and Arthur pushes against Merlin harder. Merlin can feel his cock heavy against his.

"Fuck." Arthur gasps a little, hips rutting against Merlin. Merlin's arms are still at his sides, his hands clenched against the wall. Arthur slips one hand down from the wall to Merlin's hips. His thumb rests on the groove of Merlin's hip, and Merlin lets out a little sigh as Arthur strokes him there a little. He grins smugly before kissing Merlin again, mouth urgent and a little sloppy. He tastes like toothpaste.

Arthur slips his hand down to Merlin's groin, the back of his hand rubbing against his crotch, teasing. Merlin can feel Arthur smiling against his lips, feeling Merlin getting harder and harder. Arthur pulls his face away and stares at him.

"You know, this could be a lot more fun if you got a little more involved."

Merlin swallows, and tentatively reaches out to press his hand against Arthur's hip. Arthur grins again, and Merlin lifts his head up and kisses Arthur, sliding his tongue into his mouth. Arthur groans and presses Merlin harder against the wall. Merlin can feel Arthur's hand slipping down into his shorts. Merlin lets out a groan as Arthur wraps his hand around his cock, stroking him. Merlin slips his hands into Arthur's shorts, one hand grasping Arthur's ass, the other stroking down his dick.

Arthur groans and pulls back, resting his forehead against Merlin's. They're both breathing heavy now, Arthur's hand stroking him fast, spreading his pre-come over his dick. Merlin's trying to keep up, but his grip is too loose, and he can't concentrate on anything but what Arthur's doing. Arthur is jerking him faster, and Merlin lets out a groan, his head snapping back as Arthur moves his hand down to his ass. His hand slips down, one finger teasing at his hole as Arthur's hand moves faster. Merlin's barely paying attention to his own hands, and is only aware of Arthur's. It only takes a few more tugs, and Merlin is coming, spilling all over Arthur's hand. He stills, breathing heavily, his hand still wrapped around Arthur's dick.

"Ah, Merlin. A little help?" Merlin smirks and tightens his grip on Arthur's cock. Arthur groans, leaning his head against Merlin's shoulder as his hand moves faster. It doesn't take much longer before Arthur comes. Merlin can feel his breath against his skin, his come all over his hand. It's kind of disgusting.

They pull themselves apart, wiping their hands on their shorts, not looking at each other. Arthur finally meets Merlin's gaze. He's grinning.

"Well that was bloody brilliant," Arthur says. Merlin smiles and wipes his hand on Arthur's shirt. "Hey!" Merlin laughs and skirts away. "You little shite..."

"So uh..." Arthur starts, smiling at Merlin a little nervously.

"Don't worry, I can keep a secret," Merlin says, grinning mischievously. "Besides, why would I want anyone to know I let you rub one off with me?" Arthur rolls his eyes, and pushes him away.

"You're bloody unbelievable sometimes. I'll see you tomorrow, Merlin."

Merlin grins, and slips off to bed.


End file.
